Artificially colored motor fuel



Patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIUS HYMAN, OICHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN'OR TO THE PURE OIL COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF OHIO ARTIFICIALLY COLORED MOTOR FUELNo Drawing.

The present invention relates broadly to hydrocarbon fuels for internalcombustion object of the present invention to provide an artificiallycolored motor fuel wherein provi-. sion is made for causing the fuel toretain its desired appearance or color values for extended periods oftime.

There is in common practice at present among refineries and distributorsof gasoline the use of oil soluble coloring materials, such as anilinedyes, as ingredientsin some of the gasolines or motor fuels nowobtainable on the market. Usually, such colors have as their purpose theidentification of the gasoline in question.

Due to differences in coloring power, some colors or dyes are moreadvantageously used than others. Substantially all oil colors or dyes,however,-lose their coloring power to a greater or lesser extent uponexposure in solution, and, generally, this decrease in coloring power isknown as bleaching. For'example, sunlight appears to be the most activeof the natural bleaching catalysts or agents, although materials presentin the atmosphere, such as ozone, are believed to exert similar,although not so pronounced, effects.

I have found that certain materials, added to the gasoline or othermotor fuel spirit, will retard the bleaching of oil soluble colors 5 toa greater or less degree, depending on the nature and relative amountspresent of the anti-bleach and dye, the nature of the motor spirit andthe intensity of the bleaching catalyst. I have found further, thatthese anti-bleaches or color stabilizing agents are the same materialswhich will reduce the activity of organic per-acids, either by reductionto the normal acid or by salt formation.

Among the anti-bleach materials above described are, on the one hand,reducing compounds such as ca-techol and many other hydroxyandamino-derivatives of benzol and, on the other hand, ammonia and itsderivatives. Inasmuch as only small amounts of these materials need beadded to the motor Application filed September 25, 1929. Serial No.395,198.

fuel for complete effectiveness, the additional cost is very slight andmarked advantages obtained, especially where the motor fuel or gasolineis exposed to light and air in, for example, the measuring cylinders offilling station or garage pumps.

As the amount of anti-bleach material used will be determined largely byits cost and solubility, it is not considered necessary or advisable toplace herein any specific limitations on the amount of the material tobe used, nor is the invention limited in its scope to the specificanti-bleach materials above mentioned, since the invention includeswithin its purview the employment of any materials which reduce theactivity of organic per-acids and any desired proportion of thematerials to the li uids under treatment to obtain the ends speci ed.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim is:

1. A fuel composed essentially of volatile hydrocarbons for use ininternal combustion engines containing a soluble coloring matternormally tending to lose its coloring power under conditions of storageand an anti-agent tending to stabilize such color deterioration.

2. The method of stabilizing the characteristics of artificially coloredhydrocarbon motor fuel oils of the type containing soluble coloringmatter and which tend to deteriorate in color upon exposure to light andair, which comprises adding thereto prior to such deterioration a smallproportion of a hydroxyaromatic compound sufiicient to reduce theactivity of organic per-acids present in said oil'and inhibit loss ofthe desired color there- 0 3. The process of inhibiting. loss of colorin artificially dyed gasolines containing soluble unstable coloringcompounds normally tending to fade upon storage, which comprises mixingtherewith and dissolving therein a hydroxy-aromatic compound insuflicient quantities to substantially inhibit bleaching.

or loss of desired color of the gasoline.

' 4. A gasoline for use in internal combustion engines, said gasolinehaving a non-antioxidant coloring substance therein, said coloringsubstance being unstable and an anti-oxidant hydroxy-benzol insufficient amount to stabilize said coloring substance.

5. A fuel composed essentially of volatile hydrocarbons for use ininternal combustion engines containing a soluble coloring matternormally tending to fade upon storage and a color stabilizing agentcomprising catechol.

6. A fuel composed essentially of volatile hydrocarbons for use ininternal combustion engines containing a soluble coloring matternormally tending to fade upon storage and a color stabilizing agentcomposed of amino derivatives.

7. A gasoline for use in internal combustion engines, said gasolinehaving a non-antioxidant coloring substance therein, said coloringsubstance being unstable and an antioxidant amino-benzol in sufiicientamount to stabilize" said coloring substance.

8. A fuel composed essentially of Volatile hydrodarbons for use ininternal combustion engines containing a soluble coloring matternormally tending to fade upon storage and a color stabilizing agentcomprising ammonia.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JULIUS HYMAN.

